A decade ago we had a great opportunity to build a rectangular stadium in the City, but the idiotic state government built a hospital on the site instead.

And could we really be proud of a stadium with a capacity that low?

That "idiotic" decision led to massive federal investment in expanding medical research and training opportunities for our two largest universities. It's hard to look at that whole precinct and imagine another city stadium adding more.

I don't see the need to relocate to the city, or near AO. Hindmarsh is near the city and well connected to transport — I think there is value in building up Hindmarsh as an inner suburb destination (along with Bowden), with the stadium and Entertainment Centre as the centrepieces, infill around the two (residential, commercial and entertainment), and a long talked about massive upgrade of Bonython Park.

OK I don't think a new stadium should have been in lieu of the new state of the art hospital or research center.

ut why not have a rectangular stadium somewhere near AO? It will add quite a lot to the city in terms of an entertainment precinct.

What problem is a new city rectangular stadium solving?

I'm not a fan of a new stadium being built in that area because it seems like building right next door to Adelaide Oval would just make it harder for events to use both at the same time.

That said I am a fan of this sort of idea, using the under-utilized space in this area for a public purpose, with the stands extending over covered train lines.

Effectively creating new parklands at the same time would mean you alleviate a lot of concerns about removing public space, and the location would allow the construction of a new Stadium/Hospital train stop as part of an eventual CBD train tunnel.

(The stadium is positioned a little closer to the river than ideal in this mockup, however this placement would mean that most of the stands and the pitch don't have to be placed over the lines, with only the southern stand extending over them)

OK I don't think a new stadium should have been in lieu of the new state of the art hospital or research center.

ut why not have a rectangular stadium somewhere near AO? It will add quite a lot to the city in terms of an entertainment precinct.

What problem is a new city rectangular stadium solving?

I'm not a fan of a new stadium being built in that area because it seems like building right next door to Adelaide Oval would just make it harder for events to use both at the same time.

That said I am a fan of this sort of idea, using the under-utilized space in this area for a public purpose, with the stands extending over covered train lines.

Effectively creating new parklands at the same time would mean you alleviate a lot of concerns about removing public space, and the location would allow the construction of a new Stadium/Hospital train stop as part of an eventual CBD train tunnel.

(The stadium is positioned a little closer to the river than ideal in this mockup, however this placement would mean that most of the stands and the pitch don't have to be placed over the lines, with only the southern stand extending over them)torrensStadium.png

In-genius. What a fantastic idea.

Cover the train tracks, so effectively the trains run underneath, and more public space.

OK I don't think a new stadium should have been in lieu of the new state of the art hospital or research center.

ut why not have a rectangular stadium somewhere near AO? It will add quite a lot to the city in terms of an entertainment precinct.

What problem is a new city rectangular stadium solving?

I'm not a fan of a new stadium being built in that area because it seems like building right next door to Adelaide Oval would just make it harder for events to use both at the same time.

That said I am a fan of this sort of idea, using the under-utilized space in this area for a public purpose, with the stands extending over covered train lines.

Effectively creating new parklands at the same time would mean you alleviate a lot of concerns about removing public space, and the location would allow the construction of a new Stadium/Hospital train stop as part of an eventual CBD train tunnel.

(The stadium is positioned a little closer to the river than ideal in this mockup, however this placement would mean that most of the stands and the pitch don't have to be placed over the lines, with only the southern stand extending over them)torrensStadium.png

In-genius. What a fantastic idea.

Cover the train tracks, so effectively the trains run underneath, and more public space.

While I love the idea I can't claim credit for it, amongst many the Adelaide City Council themselves had a master-plan proposing building a public connection to the Torrens over the train lines there. Haven't seen it proposed as a stadium site before though.

Sounds like a bit of a hypothetical brain fart without much substance at the moment - but let's see what comes of it.

I don't know. These plans have been on again off again for the last 10 years. One day it is going to happen.

It does make a lot of sense, and I bet the land at Coopers Stadium is worth about 70 million when subdivided. That can go a long way towards a new stadium. Plus there would be a lot of urban consolidation which is a big plus.

I think the Marshall Government will have to do something otherwise they are a 1 termer.

Personally my preferred option is a refurbishment of Hindmarsh Stadium, however, the major setback with this is that it is surrounded by 6 State Heritage properties, which undoubtedly will be met with protest if demolition of these properties is even considered. Having said that, I believe it would be ideal to see the soccer pitch shifted about 25m due south, so that the northern most edge of the main stand would pretty much be right at the corner of the new pitch, and then do a brick-by-brick rebuild of the church that currently stands in the way on the south side, and rebuild it to the north of the site. This would then enable the western, northern and southern stands to be increased in capacity, assuming the same structural size as the main stand, leaving the eastern stand as is, without impacting on any other of the 5 state heritage buildings elsewhere.

Any views and opinions expressed are of my own, and do not reflect the views or opinions of any organisation of which I have an affiliation with.

I think the Marshall Government will have to do something otherwise they are a 1 termer.

It would certainly be interesting to hear what the plans might be for the Coopers (and possible AEC) site if/when they are ever sold - I have heard various options ranging from a Bowden style TOD to a retail centre.

However, I'm not 100% sure that there are enough voters in Adelaide for whom relocating the soccer stadium is an election priority for Marshall to be too worried about this. Even Adelaide United fans seem quite split on the idea.

Building anything on the parklands is a bit of a political hot potato - as we have seen with the Adelaide Oval hotel proposal. Would Marshall & Co really want to dirty their hands with a similar proposal in their first term in office? The plan to build over the rail lines is interesting but presumably that would come at a significantly increased cost - is the A league really worth it?

Personally I think Hindmarsh is a perfect location for a soccer stadium. If Adelaide were any other city (i.e. the parklands weren't there) it would be considered a prime inner city site anyway. It is well served by tram and train lines (400m from the tram stop to the stadium and a tad further from the rail station - that's almost exactly on par with the distance of Adelaide oval from the rail station and the North Terrace tram stops) - with potential to have a tram line running to its doors. It also has abundant parking at the AEC for those who have to drive. Port Road has a retail strip which has great potential to expand to service soccer fans on match days and it's a short tram ride to the CBD for fans who want to head into the city proper after the game.

I also dispute that a couple of heritage buildings would genuinely prevent its expansion - I have seen nicer buildings demolished for less. Plus, with enough money buildings can be moved and/or possibly incorporated into the stadium design.